Choosing the right lens

- The gear which most directly affects…the way your portraits look is the lens.…And so, here I want to talk a little bit about…the differences of our lenses,…the personality of our lenses,…so that we can figure out which lens…we might want to use…in order to create a certain type of photograph.…Now, to keep things simple,…I want to distill lenses into a few different categories.…So, this is a little bit of an over-simplification…but we have lenses which are more wide angle.…Those allow us us to capture a little bit more of the scene.…We have ones which are a little bit more…of a normal focal length, like a 50 millimeter,…that's, in a sense, how the eye sees the world.…

Then we have our telephoto focal length lenses,…say like 70 to 200.…And those allows us to get closer to the scene…than is really possible with our own eyes.…Now, when it comes to the characteristics…of these lenses,…the first thing that's really important to think about…is that each of these lenses…have a different angle of view.…What I mean by that is this:…

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Released

6/29/2017

Lighting can make or break a portrait. Photographers often try to improve light using flash or lighting panels, but that hardware can be expensive, tricky to learn, and a pain to carry around. Learning how to harness natural light instead can help you enhance your work without requiring you to invest in new equipment, whether you're a creative pro who has to take the occasional headshot for your job or an enthusiast who wants to explore portraiture.

In this course, photographer Chris Orwig shows how to shoot effective portraits in natural light—even when the light isn't great. Chris explains how to find the best light, use open shade to your advantage, and leverage the uniqueness of doorway light. He also goes into camera and lens considerations, creating better compositions, working with people, planning for a shoot, and tackling a live shoot. Plus, he shares some tips for earning income as a people photographer.